California health officials this week punished hospitals that have allegedly run afoul of regulations, including one facility that raised the risk of fires in a labor and delivery OR.

According to records reviewed by the California Department of Public Health, three scheduled Caesarean sections were performed at Southwest Healthcare System in Murrieta on October 26 and 28, 2009, despite low humidity levels noted earlier on those days in the surgical suites. Low humidity in an OR increases the risk of fire from sparking surgical instruments, much like dry days can raise the potential for brush fires.

The state said the alleged lapse constituted an immediate jeopardy to patient safety, and issued a $100,000 penalty against Southwest Healthcare.

Checking humidity levels before each surgical procedure, instead of just prior to the first case of the day

Case logs for three Caesareans performed on October 26 and 28 indicated that humidity was between 22% and 25% for the surgeries, the state said.

The hospital’s policy on humidity monitoring indicated the range should be from 35% to 60%, according to the state’s report.

Southwest Healthcare has requested a meeting with the state to dispute the findings, as it argues the records reviewed by investigators were incorrect about low humidity levels during two of the Caesareans, as the levels had been increased by facilities staff prior to the surgeries.